forced labor
Forced labor is the involuntary provision of services or the constraint into an occupation through coercion, threats, force, or fraud. Forced labor is a form of human trafficking and slavery, and occurs in the public and private economy globally. It can occur in any sector, such as agriculture, manufacturing, fishing, hospitality, and so forth. The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that nearly twenty-eight million people around the world were working under conditions of forced labor in 2022. Common examples of the circumstances whereby forced labor may occur include debt bondage, deception of the type of work or the requirements, withholding of essential identification and immigration documents, forced overtime, or physical confinement to the workplace.
According to the 2025 U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, there has been a growing international response to forced labor since 2000. The U.S. federal government criminalizes forced labor in 18 U.S.C § 1589. Furthermore, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) (Pub. L. 117-78) prohibits the importation of goods manufactured under conditions of forced labor in the People’s Republic of China. The UFLPA was created in response to the systemic state-sponsored use of forced labor being wielded against certain ethnic populations.
[Last reviewed in May of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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